End-rest foot-assembly for violoncellos, bass viols and the like



March 14, 1961 -r. FAWICK 2,974,556

END-REST FOOT-ASSEMBLY FOR VIOLONCELLOS BASS IIKE VIOLS A T Filed Jan.

INVENTOR. THOMAS L. FAWICK ATTORNEY United StateS Patent END-REST FOOT-ASSEMBLY FOR VIOLONCELLOS, BASS VIOLS AND THE LIKE Thomas L. Fawick, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Fawick Flexi-Grip Co., Akron, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Jan. 30, 1958, Ser. No. 712,151

7 Claims. (Cl. 84-280) This invention relates to a structure adapted to be mounted upon the lower end of the end-rest of a violoncello, bass viol or the like to protect the floor from being damaged by the end-rest, to resist slippage of the endrest on the floor, and to provide a cushioning effect.

Its chief objects are to provide a device of this kind adapted to be highly efiective for those purposes; to provide for easy and dependable fastening of the device to the end-rest; to provide durability; and to provide economy of manufacture.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation of a musical instrument of the type referred to and, mounted upon its endrest, a device embodying my invention in its preferred form.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section of the end-rest, with parts shown in elevation, at the vertical middle plane of the assembly.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a top face view, taken from line 4-4 of Fig. 2, of a dished metal disc as it appears before it is incorporated in the device.

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the device, taken from the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section of a modification.

Fig. 7 is a section on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a section on line 88 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a bottom view of the device of modified form, taken from the line 9--9 of Fig. 6.

Figs. 10 and 11 are a vertical section and a plan of a modification.

Referring first to the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 5, those figures show the instruments body 10 having fixed in its lower end wall the clamping device, 11, of a known type of end-rest assembly in which the endrest proper is a rod 12 slidably extending from the interior to the exterior of the instrument body, through the clamping device, by which the rod is adapted to be secured at different positions vertically of the body 10 to provide an end-rest adjustable as to the distance that it projects from the body. The rod 12 is shown as being formed with spaced annular grooves 13, 13 for secure engagement by the clamping device; with a sleeve of elastic tubing 14 upon its upper end portion as a stop to limit outward movement of the rod; and with a snap-ring 15 in a groove near the rods lower end to limit inward movement of the rod.

My supporting, stabilizing and cushioning device comprises a block 16 of rubber, which word in the appended claims is intended to be inclusive of both natural and synthetic substances having substantially the resilient deformability and frictional characteristics of vulcanized soft-rubber. This block is formed with a hole 16a extending downward from its upper end face, for gripping, frictional mounting of the rubber block upon the lower end of the end-rest rod.

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Embedded and preferably adhered in the block 16 near the lower end of the said hole and in centered relation to it is a metal washer 17. The hole of the washer is of such size as to receive, without permitting through passage threof, the conical lower end faces of posts 12 of different diameters. Thus the washer 17 is adapted to serve as a stop for the post, to sustain the weight of the instrument and keep the post from punching farther into the rubber.

Preferably the hole 16a has a relatively large part 16b above the washer, to accommodate the snap-ring 15, which can be left on the post although the rubber block substitutes for it as a stop.

The lower portion of the block 16 is formed as a relatively narrow neck which, because of its relatively small diameter, has good flexibility for permitting change of inclination of the instrument without unduly affecting the functioning of a floor-protecting, floor-gripping and cushioning foot that is joined to the lower end of the said neck.

The said foot comprises a preferably dished metal disc 18 secured to the lower end face of the blocks neck 160 by vulcanized adhesion and having secured to its own lower face by vulcanized adhesion a pad 19 of resilient and frictional material such as vulcanized soft-rubber.

Preferably the pad 19 is formed on its lower face with a vacuum-cup recess or recesses 19a,.19b, 19b. 4

The structure is such, as shown and described, that the post 12, although it is slender, is given a frictional and cushioning footing of desirably large area, with largearea application of the instruments weight to the rubber by the large-area metal members 17 and 18.

In the modification shown in Figs. 6 to 9, an endless ring 20 is mounted in an annular groove formed in the upper end portion of the rubber block 16 to give it a strong gripping effect while'permitting it to receive rods 12 of different diameters.

Also, in this modification, the lower metal member, 21, is formed with a central hole 21a, and a single body of rubber, integrally extending through the hole 21a, takes the place of the two rubber bodies shown in Fig. 2. Preferably the rubber is not adhered to the edge face defining the hole, to provide less resistance to tilting of the instrument and to provide a better suction-cup effect. For the last mentioned purpose the circle of suction-cup recesses, 119b, 11%, Fig. 9, are formed in respective individual feet 1190, 119c defining between them radial grooves 119d, 119d, and the central recess, 119e, is of large diameter.

In the modification shown in Figs. 10 and 11 a still easier hinging movement is provided by a ball-andsocket structure, in which a hollow metal ball 22 is snapped into a complemental socket formed in the rubher, before the restricting ring, 20a, is applied. The upper side of the balls wall is formed with a hole for reception of the tapered lower end of the rod 12 and preferably the ball is permanently secured upon the rod, as by welding 121). The Wall of the rubber socket preferably is formed with a recess 23 adapted to be filled with a suitable lubricant, such as graphite.

In the appended claims the word rubber is intended to be inclusive of all like substances having substantially the resilient deformability of vulcanized soft rubber.

Further modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An end-rest assembly for a musical instrument as a Violoncello, bass viol or the like comprising an end-rest rod, a unitary block body structure having a rubber, floor-engaging lower end of large cross-sectional extent for effective floor gripping action, said unitary body 3 structure having a resilient rubber upper end portion with a top opening therein, and a rigid reinforcement member seated in said rubber upper end portion of said unitary body structure and having an opening therein which is accessible from above said top opening in said upper end portion and removably receiving one end of said endrest rod, the rubber of said upper end portion resiliently engaging beneath said reinforcement member entirely around the latter to distribute the weight on said reinforcement member over a substantial area of the rubber in said upper end portion, the rubber of said upper end portion also overlying the upper side of said reinforce ment member around said opening therein to retain said reinforcement member in said upper end portion of the unitary body structure and means on said rod spaced from said end adjustably supporting said instrument.

2. The end-rest assembly of claim 1 wherein said reinforcement member is a metal ball seated in a comp'lementary socket in said rubber upper end portion of said unitary body structure.

3,. The end-rest assembly of claim 2 wherein the socket in said rubber upper end portion of the unitary body structure communicates with a recess containing lubricant to lubricate the turning of the ball in the socket.

4. The end-rest assembly of claim 1 wherein the rubber of said upper end portion of the unitary body structure is formed integral with the rubber of said floorengaging lower end, and said upper end portion is of substantially smaller cross-sectional size than said lower end.

5. The end-rest assembly of claim 1 wherein said re inforcement member is an annular metal washer fixedly embedded in and bonded by adhesion to the rubber of said upper end portion of the unitary body structure, said upper end portion is formed with an elongated passage leading from its top opening down to said washer and communicating with the opening therein, and said upper end portion is laterally flexible.

6. The end-rest assembly of claim 5 wherein said rub- .ber upper end portion of the unitary body structure has a reduced neck at its lower end having a rigid connection to said floor-engaging lower end.

7. The end-rest assembly of claim 1 wherein said rubber upper end portion of the unitary body structure is of substantially smaller cross-sectional size than said lower end and extends centrally upward therefrom, and wherein there is provided a stiff reinforcement member adhesively bonded to the top of said lower end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

